2. Feel Me

The next morning, Gajeel woke up to realize that Aide was not sleeping beside him, nor was he on the floor. In concern, he got up to see that Aide was sitting in his living room, and the boy was concentrating on something when Gajeel felt a large amount of magic rise in the room although it was only for an instant. The boy smiled and turns around to see Gajeel standing there, and he greeted him a good morning.

"What were you up to?" Gajeel asked in a slightly throaty voice from having just woken up, though his expression was more curious than upset.

"Every morning I check if mama is with me." The boy said innocently with his large smile. "Yesterday I forgot to check, so today I wanted to let her know that I haven't forgotten about her."

Gajeel stared at the boy for a moment. "So all you need to do is gather your magic?" He asked.

The boy nodded. "Gather magic, and just feel. Think of mama, and you will feel her in your magic." He explained, his voice a sounding soft and encouraging. There was confidence in his voice that his mother lies within magic, and it wasn't just his magic, it was everyone's magic. Gajeel had to find out, so he decided to try.

"Alright," The man said, taking a seat beside the boy, much to the boy's delight. Gajeel took a deep breath. It was not too hard for him to gather magic around him, he's always done it. But thinking about her, trying to feel her there in this mass of magic was something different. He's never done it before but as Gajeel Redfox, he would never let it go if he couldn't feel her right now.

And in the depths of the magic that rose within him and in the room, which made Aide stare in awe, Gajeel searched. He searched frantically for Levy's presence. Her soft warmth, the memories they shared, the love he felt for her – he let everything go in hopes of them reaching her.

For a short, yet permanent moment, Gajeel felt her. It was as if her hand was placed over his, another hand on his cheek, and he swore he could have even seen a faint glitter of light in front of him. When he focused back to reality, the magic dissipating, he noticed Aide was looking at him with wide, excited, and slightly teary eyes.

The boy shakes his head and grins. "Your magic feels so warm, like mama's." Aide sits in front of Gajeel. The warmth from Levy's touch lingers on his hand and cheek, as though she was still there, touching him. But he had to believe that he reached out his thoughts and feelings to her, even if she was in the form of magic. He placed his hand on Aide's head and ruffled his hair.

"Mama never told me anything about my father, but if I do have one, it would be nice if it was you." The boy said, making Gajeel freeze in his spot and looking down at the boy in a fixed gaze. The boy held Gajeel's larger hand with both his hands, grinning from ear to ear. Gajeel silently gulped. Should he tell the boy that he could possibly, no, probably be his father? But he snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his stomach grumble.

And Aide's stomach grumbling. "Oh." The boy said, placing his hand on his stomach.

Gajeel sighed, standing up. "Let's go to the guild and get some food."


"I have, without a doubt, felt Levy." Gajeel told Makarov, Mirajane, Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Happy, and Carla as they were in a corner of the guild again while Gajeel ate his iron meal and Aide was eating his breakfast with Jet and Droy. Droy, particularly, seemed to dote on Aide a lot. Perhaps it was his habit after being a godfather to Jet's children, and also because Aide is Levy's child.

"So how does she feel?" Makarov asked, earning a few glares from the group except for Natsu, Wendy and Happy. He waved his hand dismissively. "You know what I mean."

Gajeel couldn't quite hide his smile. "Warm, just like I remember her."

They smiled. "All the more reason to get her back to her original state!" Natsu said, with Happy following with an "Aye sir!".

"Right," Erza said, looking thoughtful. "We need to find out how to reach out to her closer than simply gathering our magic." She said. She had a small smile on her lips. "It's funny how during these situations, Levy would appear and tell us what she knows with her information. Master, do you know anything?"

Makarov had his eyes closed, looking thoughtful as well. "If I'm not mistaken, there are various cores of magic in the Earth's land. Magic at these cores are powerful, but untouchable, simply because we do not have the capacity to even withstand them. However, we may be able to reach out to her from there and pull her from the depths of magic. It will be difficult, but it can be done."

Gajeel was undoubtedly excited, until Lucy asked one of the most important questions regarding the matter. "But…where are these cores?"

Everyone fell still, having no answer to that. "We'll travel and search it!" Natsu said.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be hard if we believe we'll find it!" Gray said in agreement.

Gajeel stuffed iron into his mouth, munching it when he heard a familiar voice. "You're going to bring mama back?" Aide asked, looking at all the adults around him. Gajeel stood up, having finished his meal, and took a swig of water.

"That's right," The man ruffled Aide's head. "We're going to see her everyday once we bring her back home, to Fairy Tail."


It was an idea that was pitched by Aide, but to Gajeel it was brilliant. Aide suggested that they drop by the house that Levy and Aide used to live in, although it was a place quite far from the city, and it was sort of in an unknown town. Regardless, Gajeel, Aide, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Wendy, Carla, and Lily decided to go, in hopes of being able to discover something in the house that Levy might have left behind.

It took about four days for them to reach the house, and when they finally arrived they couldn't get in. It wasn't because they didn't have a key to the door, it was because they were being blocked by a rune that surrounded the house. It was obvious that Levy set up the rune. Aide squatted down at one area of the rune, to the surprise of everyone else. He took out a pen and rewrote the rune. "Okay, we can get in now." He said, walking through the barrier.

Lucy gave a small laugh. "You learned a lot from your mother, didn't you?" She asked Aide.

He nodded. "Mama said I'm a quick learner. And incredibly smart." He boasted, grinning in the memory of her praises.

The group went inside and took a look around. It wasn't a large house, and it was enough for two people. Lucy and Erza had chuckled. "The house resembles her room," Erza said. "Books everywhere." Sure enough, there were books piled in the corners of the house and around. Sometimes they would accidentally step on books and papers that lay on the floors. None of them were surprised.

Aide rummaged in a drawer that was near a bed, and smiled when he found what he was searching for. In his hand was a small pouch filled with items that seemed to be his treasure. "It has things that mama and I really care about," He said, opening the pouch and taking out a few things. One of them caught Gajeel's eye, and he took the object from Aide's palm.

Aide looked at Gajeel curiously. "Mama said that's an important thing, so you better not lose it." He said. "Sometimes she'd put it on her finger, but take it off by the end of the day."

It was a simple silver band, the ring that Gajeel gave to her on her birthday, away from the eyes of everyone else from the guild. It was the first and last time he had ever given her (or anyone at all, for that matter) a birthday present, and it was also proof that back then, they were falling for each other. That night when he gave her the ring, she was elated. It was a bold move for him, and even bolder that the first present he has ever given was a ring, but she loved it so much that she leaped into his arms and hugged him dearly.

He smirked as he reminisced the event. He passed it back to Aide. "Keep that safe." He said, and the boy nodded. Stuffing the small pouch into his bag, the boy pranced around elsewhere, probably remembering the house and exploring it once again.

Gajeel looked around the room while Aide walked away elsewhere. He couldn't imagine how she would have lived her life with Aide. He knew that sometimes she would even skip meals when she was immersed in a book. Had she accidentally done the same in this house?

He noticed a neat pile of similar looking books on her desk. They were not a series of novels because there was nothing on the cover. When he picked one up and opened it, he realized it was her handwriting. Right after that, he realized these books were her diaries for the past five years. Knowing that they could be vital to the unanswered questions he had, he took them all and placed them into a bag, except for one which seemed to be during the first year she had left the guild. He opened the first page, reading the first entry of the book while he took a seat on the bed.

This is my first entry. I have decided to leave Fairy Tail because I've found out that I'm pregnant – with his child. I couldn't tell him that I am, not after how he said he would be 'damned' if he had any kids. And I don't know what to do. I don't know how to go about this. I don't want to trouble everyone in the guild and I can't bear to raise a child in his presence. But I can't abandon this child too.

There was a thick dash on the sentence after the last line, which Gajeel guessed that it was probably a mistake or something she didn't want to put down in words.

I really love him, I really do. That's why I can't just abandon this baby. I'll love him with the strength of two parents, and maybe one day, I'll tell the child that Gajeel is his or her father. I don't know when that'll be, and I don't know whether I'll be able to tell this child when that time comes, but I just know I'll have to do it. I know I'm silly for doing this. I'm so silly, I thought that I should go back to the guild so many times and explain it to Gajeel, or anyone at all.

But I'm scared. I'm so scared of everything.

Gajeel had been gripping the book by then, gritting his teeth and resting his forehead on the palm of his hand. He was mentally cursing, remembering the conversation they had which she referred to in this diary entry. It was a day when they had gone on a mission together – one of those rare occasions when they did, because sometimes they didn't feel as though they spent enough time together – and on the train ride, Levy saw a baby with his mother. She started to play with the baby enthusiastically, giggling at the baby's laughter.

"Babies are really cute, don't you think?" She asked Gajeel when she stopped playing with the baby.

Gajeel grunted, indifferent. "I don't quite see it."

Levy grinned. "Oh come on, Gajeel. I bet your heart would be captured by our own child, before you know it." She said with a giggle. "I wonder how your child would look like."

Gajeel scoffed. "I'd be damned if I have a kid. Kids are trouble, they always need attention, and they're downright annoying." He said.

Levy faltered, although it was unnoticed by Gajeel as they arrived at their destination.

He knocked his fist against his forehead. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He whispered, realizing that she had taken it harsher than he could have imagined. Sure, back then he thought kids were annoying and they needed all the attention they could get. But now, looking at Aide, he regretted not being able to be beside him when he was a baby. And that conversation took place a long time ago, before he seriously thought of living with her forever.

And just when he thought of telling her that he wanted to be with her forever, she had disappeared without a word, the reason being the fact that she was carrying his child. Come to think of it, where is Aide?

He got up, stuffed the diary back into the bag and called for the boy. "Aide!" He repeated, walking outside to the backyard where he saw the boy sitting on a tree branch, his legs dangling as he hummed a song that was not familiar to Gajeel.

Gajeel nearly had a shock. There is a five year old boy – correction, his five year old son – sitting on a branch of a tall tree, looking frighteningly precarious although Aide seemed perfectly fine. "Aide!" He yelled, surprising the boy and he slipped, falling off the tree. "Crap!" Gajeel said, running towards his son.

But to Gajeel's surprise, Aide's fingers worked quick. "Solid Script: Cushion!" He fell on the word that was soft as a cushion. "Why'd you scare me? You're just like mama. She would start shouting my name for no reason when I'm up there."

Gajeel sighed in relief. He stomped towards the boy and placed his hands under Aide's arms, picking him up with ease. "Of course she'd shout! You're all the way up there! The only person we know who would sit on trees like that is…" He faltered. "Me." Aide looked at him with a grin. "A-Anyway, it's dangerous. That's why we call your name. You could have fallen off and died like just now!" Gajeel scolded the boy.

Aide pouted, looking away. "I could always use my solid script like just now." He said stubbornly.

"Don't talk back to me, kid." Gajeel said.

They two heard giggles from behind them. Gajeel turned to see Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Wendy, Carla, and Lily, looking at Gajeel and Aide with amusement. "Gajeel, you're acting just like a father." Lucy said.

"They act the same too. The father causes trouble, and so does the son." Natsu said with a cackling laughter.

Wendy laughed lightly, when Gajeel barked at Natsu. "Huh? When have I ever caused trouble? It's always you!" He said, when Aide started laughing adorably and catching the attention of Gajeel and the rest.

Aide looked at Lucy. "Do we look like family?" He asked, his eyes shining excitedly at the blonde woman.

Lucy grinned. "Of course! It would be nice if you are a real family, don't you think?"

Aide grinned, a grin that tugged on Gajeel's heart and warmed his heart. "Yeah!" The boy said, enjoying the fact that he is still being carried by Gajeel, although it didn't seem as if he was being carried gently.

They decided it was time to head back. Gajeel was setting Aide back on his feet when the boy still held onto the man's arms with his tiny hands. "Huh? What are you doing?" Gajeel asked the boy, who looked intent on not letting go.

Aide looked shy, but he looked up at Gajeel with determination. "Carry me again." He said.

Gajeel stared at the boy's expectant eyes. "Huh?" was all he could say in response. "Carry…?" Gajeel imagined himself carrying the boy the way he did earlier, and he just couldn't imagine himself to be doing that for a longer period of time. "No." He said.

Aide frowned, tugging on his arm and shaking his head furiously. Gajeel wondered if Levy had to put up with this too. "You're five years old," Gajeel said. "You're too old to be asking for this."

Still, Aide shook his head furiously, keeping a stubborn attitude. His eyes started to tear up and Lily appeared, chuckling at the two. "Just carry him, there's no harm in that." The Exceed said with a smile. Gajeel sighed. "Fine, fine." He picked the boy up, having him sit on his arm as Aide nestled his head in the crook of Gajeel's neck comfortably in silence.

Having a son, he thought as he felt Aide snuggle in his arms, isn't bad, Levy. He looked up at the sky. We just want you home.


When he appeared in front of the rest, Natsu laughed again. "Yo, dad!" He teased.

"Shut up, salamander!" Gajeel barked. "Why don't you go and make kids with Lucy!"

Lucy blushed a deep red. "D-Don't say something stupid, Gajeel!" She yelled.


Notes:

I had a short moment of writer's block until I finally got myself to write a touching chapter. I hope it has been somewhat touching for all of you when you read this, because I was. I really would love to see Gajeel's more sensitive side. I know he has shown some brotherly acts towards Wendy and I really like those. Thank you for reading! Reviews, please!